Hindu homes in Bangladesh attacked after teen's derogatory post on Prophet Muhammad: What Yunus govt said

As many as 15 Hindu homes were attacked in Bangladesh's Rangpur district after a 17-year-old boy posted objectionable content on Facebook about Prophet Muhammad. As per multiple reports, the army and police were deployed to disperse the rampaging crowd. A case was filed on Tuesday night against 1,200 unidentified individuals for taking part in vandalism and looting. The attacks took place in Aldadpur village after a third-semester student at a polytechnic institute posted derogatory content about Prophet Muhammad on Facebook. According to The Daily Star, the boy was arrested around 8:30 pm on Saturday evening after police received complaints about the post. The office of the interim government's Chief Adviser, Muhammad Yunus, on Tuesday said orders have been issued to repair the houses damaged in the violence in Gangachara upazila of Rangpur.

"A case was filed under the Cybersecurity Act, and the boy was later sent to a juvenile rehabilitation centre following a court order," a police officer, Al Emran, told Dhaka-based newspaper, Prothom Alo. "We are withholding the identity of the complainant for security reasons," Gangachara Police Station Officer-in-Charge Al Emran told The Daily Star. "ifteen houses were damaged or looted. We are preparing a list and working on financial and other forms of support," an official, Mahmud Hasan Mridha, said after visiting the village. "We didn't sleep all night," Kamalakanta Roy, a villager, told Prothom Alo. "We had 10–12 mon (400–480 kg) of paddy, and we're selling it now." Binoy Chandra Mohonto, a small shop owner, said, "They broke into my house and looted 50kg of rice. I could identify many of them. They often join different political rallies. But I didn't dare file a case against them." Classes at the Aldadpur High School and the Aldadpur Government Primary School have remained suspended since the attacks.

Reacting to the incident, Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) and Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) demanded punishment for the culprits.ASK, in its statement, said, "The attack is a clear violation of human rights and directly contradicts the constitutional guarantee of equal rights for all citizens."It demanded immediate identification and legal action against those involved in the attack, ensuring safety, compensation, and rehabilitation of the affected Hindu families. ASK also urged the state to take effective and assertive measures to prevent such religious incitement and communal violence in the future. The CPB condemned the "organised attack, vandalism, looting, and torture carried out by a communal group", saying that such incidents have now become a regular occurrence. National Citizen Party (NCP) Convener Nahid Islam condemned the attacks and said that no one should be spared for insulting the Prophet, but "justice must follow the law."